Myanmar power protests put Government to the test
26 May, ABC News
Protests this past week in Myanmar over persistent power shortages
have provided a test of how the country's elected but military-backed
government will respond to rising expectations sparked by democratic
reforms.Small demonstrations in Myanmar's two largest cities and several
towns could be seen as an indicator of the new openness under President
Thein Sein, who has overseen the country's emergence from decades of
authoritarian rule and diplomatic isolation.
From another point of view, the protests, which have been peaceful
and limited in size and scope, serve as a reminder of the early stages
of past unrest — small affairs sparked by complaints over the economy
that snowballed into large-scale challenges to authority.In 2007, the
former military regime used force to put down the so-called Saffron
Revolution led by Buddhist monks. That rebellion began as small,
localized protests over fuel price hikes."Protests like this in Myanmar
always have the potential to escalate and lead to political unrest,"
said Trevor Wilson, a former Australian envoy to Myanmar who now teaches
at Australian National University. "It is hard to predict how these
protests might develop."
Thein Sein was prime minister of the military government, but shed
his formal links with the army to run with its proxy political party in
a 2010 general election that was boycotted by the party of democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi.Last year, Thein Sein embarked on a reform
program whose main objective was to win the easing of economic sanctions
imposed by the United States and the European Union against the previous
repressive military regime.
That goal has already been largely accomplished.Also as a result of
the reforms, the government won the cooperation of Suu Kyi, the
once-implacable foe of army rule. Suu Kyi and her National League for
Democracy party even agreed to run for parliament in by-elections,
snaring 43 seats in last month's polls to play a small but historically
significant legislative role.
Along with the revival of parliamentary politics in Myanmar there has
been a new assertiveness in civil society, especially in lobbying on
environmental issues. One campaign, opposing the Chinese-funded Myitsone
hydropower dam on the Irrawaddy River, won an astonishing victory when
the government announced the cancellation of the project.
Still, the potential for conflict in Myanmar also known as Burma lies
in the space between the political reforms achieved so far and the
shortfall in other fundamental changes, particularly in the
economy.Speaking Tuesday at the opening of a branch office for her
party, Suu Kyi said "the country suffers from power shortages because of
mismanagement. I believe that the system has to be changed to get
electricity or to get water or to get jobs.
"The challengers to the government are the same activists who used to
struggle against military rule, but are now emboldened by the new
democratic opening.Their antagonist is the same military that smashed
their dreams five years ago. Though he came to power through election,
Thein Sein heads a government that serves at the sufferance of the
military, which together with its civilian allies controls parliament
and security affairs. |